We’ve been using this little gem of a product for around two years and I often wonder why we didn’t invest in one sooner. We now have three humidifiers that make their way around different rooms in our family home. Do we really need three you ask? Well, when you’ve got kids, often at least two members of the household have a cold or cough at any one time, so that’s two bedrooms taken care of. Then there’s the longue area where we run our heat pump, which pumps out dry air. Apart from the fact dry air dries out our skin, hair and nails, it also creates a nasty breeding ground for cold and flu bugs, and we all know how quickly a cold makes its way through the family unit.
I’m sure there’s more than just ten reasons you should use a humidifier, but let’s start with this list of gems…
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Avoid Dry Skin & Lips
When you’re inside and running your heat pump or air con, your skin starts to lose its moisture. You know that feeling … tight, dry, itchy, flaky and dull skin. A humidifier adds moisture to the air and helps naturally rehydrate your skin.
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Ease Illnesses
When your kiddo is suffering from a stuffed-up nose, sore throat or constant cough you’ll do just about anything to relieve their discomfort, not only for their well-being but so you can get some much-needed sleep yourself. Humidifiers help moisturise the nasal, throat and lung passages, making it easier for air to pass through.
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Ward off ‘Man-Flu’ (sorry guys)
Studies have shown that humidifiers reduce the risk of developing the flu. Researchers found that after adding the influenza virus to the air with a simulated cough, humidity levels above 40 percent rapidly deactivated virus particles, making them much less likely to be infectious. Another case study found that children living in dry air homes are seven times more likely to be absent from school due to colds and flu.
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Relieve Allergies
Breathing higher humidity air is one way to relieve the discomfort and symptoms of allergies. Hay fever for example, often includes nasal congestion, irritation, and inflammation of the delicate, moist tissues of the nasal mucosa. Reducing inflammation of these tissues can provide quick relief. This then allows your moistened nasal tissues to blow out irritants and allergens from your nasal cavity, reducing your allergy symptoms.
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Sleep Baby Sleep
When your baby is older than 3 months you can start adding some essential oils to your humidifier to promote sleep. Check which ones are safe, but we love to add a drop of lavender or chamomile. Both are renown for having a smoothing and calming effect on babies.
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Help Warm your Home
Humid air feels warmer than dry air, so by running a humidifier in the winter you’ll find your power bill gets reduced.
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Your Houseplants will love you for it
Your moisture-loving houseplants will love your humidifier and become more vibrant, and your wooden floors or furniture are likely to last longer.
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Reduce Snoring
Many people don’t realize that dry air can actually contribute to — even increase the severity — of your snoring symptoms. This happens because insufficient moisture in the air causes the throat to swell and the nose to become congested. If you have a snoring partner, then a humidifier may just be worth its weight in gold.
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Keep those pesky mosquitos away!
There are all sorts of lovely essential oils you can add to your humidifier, but if you’re determined to keep biting bugs away, try adding a combination of patchouli, clove and lemongrass. They work particularly well on mosquitos. Obviously, you’ll need to check your humidifier copes with oils added.
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Asthma Relief
If your child has asthma, you’re probably aware of the balance of humidity they require in the environment to breathe properly. If the air is too dry, one set of symptoms will crop up, and if the air is too humid, a whole new set of problems appear. While asthma is a condition that should only be treated by doctor, there are a number of benefits humidifiers can provide to the sufferer. Humidifiers work by reducing triggers, so a humidifier can help you breathe easier. If you’re using a humidifier to relieve asthma it’s important to follow some strict guidelines including using distilled water (changed daily), cleaning the tank frequently and monitoring the humidity level in the room.
We could think of a bunch more reasons why you need a humidifier in your home, but this list is a good place to start …..so sit back and breathe easy….
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